Hi! I’m an international student applying to a few American universities. My dog and I are extremely close and he would be devastated if I left. However, my advisor told me that you are obliged to stay in the school campus for 2 years or so. Is that true? Can’t I rent a place and live with my dog instead?
Some require it, some don’t. You should look for those that allow freshmen to live off campus.
Thank you!!
You are looking for schools that give lots of scholarship money. Those are likely going to require you to live on campus at least for one year.
How much does it cost to fly a dog back and forth from your country to this country?
I’m not even sure that you can bring your dog here for a long period of time.
It’s seldom a problem to move a dog to the US, assuming s/he has been vaccinated. And the cost is minimal, just the cost of an extra bag. Realistically, though, you’re not going to be able to have your dog with you for at least one or two years while living on-campus if you’re at a 4-year school (particularly one that gives scholarship money).
Also, if you go somewhere where a lot of students live off campus later on, it creates an added challenge to find a place where the landlord allows dogs and your roommates are fine with it. Not impossible, just harder. You’d also have to think about whether your dog would be happy in an apartment, alone much of the day, if that hasn’t been his/her life so far. Either way you probably want to get your pup used to your being away for a while and being mainly with family members if you’re thinking of studying far from home.
Rules on importing a dog. I don’t know if there are any special conditions when the owner is on a student visa, but here are the basics:
As long as your college doesn’t require freshmen to live on campus, yes, you can rent a place off-campus and bring your dog.
I’m wondering how an int’l student who needs a lot of aid is going to get a lease here for an off-campus apt, and also pay for daily transportation to school.
I think bringing the dog here is a bad idea. If the dog arrives here and is sick or has any issue, it is a big deal and can be costly for the student. Or the authorities can demand that the animal be destroyed.
Plus, every time the OP travels back and forth, the dog would be traveling too.
There’s also the matter that many apartment complexes will charge exorbitant pet fees/ rent.
I don’t think OP should bring the dog, but I also don’t think this is a big deal, particularly if the dog is young (< 9 years old, give or take) and you are coming from an industrialized country. The chances of the dog having some undetected illness that’s big enough of an issue to get the animal put down is very, very unlikely. There might be some quarantining restrictions that you have to deal with. I wouldn’t say that the cost is like checking another bag - some airlines charge relatively hefty fees for transporting a dog internationally ($350+) - but if you’re moving to a place for 4 years, that fee might be worth it.
As far as finding a dog-friendly apartment in a college town, that’s not a big deal. College towns don’t just cater to students; they also have housing for the thousands of faculty, researchers, staff, and the staff of all the other businesses in the town that support the university (restaurants, hotels, entertainment, etc.) I live in a small college town and had no trouble finding an apartment that would accept my dog. I paid a $250 pet deposit and pay an extra $30/month in rent. It’s well worth it for me to have my furry friend, who is currently snuggled up against my leg. (Finding an affordable dog-friendly apartment in a large city, however, is a different story altogether. If you think you might want to go to college in New York, LA, San Francisco, Boston, etc., OP, then that makes it more difficult.)
For me, the issue comes in two places:
- If you need a lot of financial aid, your best aid bet is going to likely come in the form of on-campus housing. If a college gives you a huge scholarship more than likely they are going to require that you live on campus, and very few universities have pet-friendly on-campus housing. Even if you get a lot of outside aid, it might require the aid to go through the college, and the college can take several weeks to get any refund to you - you'll probably have to have paid at least two months' rent in that time.
- Time. You already own a dog, so you know that it takes lots of time. If you are at home with your parents, that's a few adults who are able to share the responsibilities. As a college student, there's a lot going on - constantly changing schedules, spontaneous activities with friends, potentially spring break trips, trips back home, etc. That can be stressful for a dog, but also stressful for you as you try to arrange your schedule around the dog. For example, when you go home for the holiday break and summer, what are you going to do? Are you going to pay the costly fees to bring the dog back and forth with you every time (and also poor dog, if he's big, because that's the cargo hold for him)? Or are you going to get a pet sitter to watch him for an extended period, which will be expensive?
I love dogs, but I deliberately waited until I had finished graduate school to adopt one because your schedule is so hectic and changeable that it makes it difficult to really be with a dog the way you should - not just attend to its basic needs, but walk it, take it to the dog park, socialize it, and participate in ongoing training or activities.
Eckerd College allows pets in dorms
http://www.eckerd.edu/housing/petlife/petpolicy.php
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some airlines charge relatively hefty fees for transporting a dog internationally ($350+) - but if you’re moving to a place for 4 years, that fee might be worth it.
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That would only be if the only animal travels twice…to the US …and then back home after graduation. Not likely.
I’m not sure that an int’l on an education visa can stay over summers. Plus, he won’t get any aid for his summer stay, even if he goes to summer school.
^Yeah, I did note that in my post after thinking about it later - at best you’d have to pay it four times (twice for winter break and twice for summer).
Like I said, I don’t think it’s a great idea. The dog would probably be happier at home with mom and dad - he’d miss you, but at least it won’t be a complete upheaval of his entire life.
Is it a big dog?
It would be better if you spend the next year slowly getting your dog used to longer absences away from you…so that he’ll get used to hanging out with your family.
There’s no problem with staying over breaks. Int’l students on visas generally don’t go home at all over breaks or summer, in my experience. It’s just too expensive. My nephew (int’l student on study visa) has seen his family once in six years. Maybe students from closer countries go home – Mexico or France, say – but for much of the world, tickets are pricey, it’s a long trip, etc. We’re US citizens overseas and when my son goes to college, he’ll come home once a year. He has asked about bringing the dog. (The answer is sorry but no. She’d move back to the States with us, of course, but right now she’s happy where she is. Fortunately she barks very well through Skype. )
Some colleges allow (well-behaved and under 40/50 pound) dogs in dorms:
Eckerd, Stetson, Washington&Jefferson, UIUC
Stephens College (a women’s college) not only has dog-friendly dorms but also a pet daycare center!